AJ McLean praises Liam Payne's unreleased music
The Backstreet Boys star described Liam Payne's new music as "beautiful".
AJ McLean hopes Liam Payne's fans will hear the music he was working on before his death.
McLean and the late One Direction star developed a strong friendship while working on 'Building the Band'.
The competition series will debut on Netflix on Wednesday, July 9. Payne recorded the series shortly before he passed away in October 2024.
The 31-year-old singer died after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina.
Payne is a guest judge alongside Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland. Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger is the lead judge and mentor.
McLean hosts the show. The 47-year-old praised Payne, whom he described as the "coolest dude," for mentoring the singers on the show.
“He was just so well spoken, very supportive, rigorously honest, in a compassionate way. He always spoke from the heart,” the 'I Want It That Way' singer told the ‘Today’ show.
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McLean also revealed that Payne made him listen to some of the music he had been working on at the time.
"He was just an absolute sweetheart, witty, funny. He sent me an unreleased body of work to get my opinion on it — and I never put that out there. I thought that was really sweet that he would entrust someone that he’s still learning about to give their opinion,” he told ‘Today’.
"I thought it was a great body of work. And I hope that the world and that the fans get to hear it somewhere down the road. It’s beautiful, beautiful music."
While McLean and Payne knew each other before working on the show, they became close on set.
They spent 12-plus hours together a day while shooting.
McLean was among the first to pay tribute to Payne following his sudden death.
"Words cannot begin to express the pain I have for this man and the great loss we have endured! We became very close almost immediately and shared so many stories, laughs, and life experiences," he wrote on Instagram.
"Gone too soon, my friend. You were such a light an incredible person to be in the presence of daily while we worked together!"
"I cannot believe you are gone. Keep shining and keep singing for us all to hear. My deepest condolences to your family, loved ones, and your bandmates. Love you, bro!" McLean concluded in his October 18 post.
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Main image credit: YouTube/Backstreet Boys ('I Want It That Way' music video)